A reader posed an interesting question about hotel welcome amenities, which I wanted to address more broadly, since I think it makes for an interesting discussion. What are hotel welcome amenities, at what hotels and under what circumstances should you expect them, and what do I make of them?
In this post:
What are hotel welcome amenities?
In a nutshell, a hotel welcome amenity is a gift that’s typically placed in your room on the first day of your stay. Sometimes you’ll find a welcome amenity in your room when you arrive, while in other cases it may be delivered on your first afternoon or evening, after checking in (which is why it could be worth not putting up your “do not disturb” sign). At more limited service properties, you may be given a gift bag upon check-in, or something along those lines.
In some cases a welcome amenity is advertised as a perk of a stay, while more often than not it’s a “surprise and delight” thing, where it’s not something that’s published, but it is common.
You’ll find that luxury hotels consistently provide these to guests. The quality can vary significantly, though. At some hotels (like the Mandarin Oriental Boston) it could be a few pieces of fruit.
At other hotels (like Cheval Blanc Paris), it could be a bottle of champagne, some amazing homemade sweets, and some fruit.
What’s offered as a welcome amenity can vary significantly, though more often than not it’s some sort of a food & beverage offering. It’s most commonly a cheese plate, sweets, and/or wine.
Note that in this post I’m not talking about hotel welcome amenities offered by hotel loyalty programs, where you may receive some bonus points as a “welcome amenity.” I’m talking about tangible in-room gifts provided proactively by hotels.
What impacts whether you get a hotel welcome amenity?
I find that most “true” luxury hotels offer some sort of a welcome amenity to guests. Even beyond that, though, you may find that many upscale hotels also offer welcome amenities under some circumstances.
What impacts if you get a welcome amenity, and for that matter, the quality of the welcome amenity? Potential factors include:
- The type of hotel you’re staying at
- Your elite status, if you’re staying at a hotel with a loyalty program
- Whether you’re a repeat guest at that specific hotel
- If you’re celebrating anything special, like an anniversary or birthday
- If you booked through a travel agent program that offers a welcome amenity as a published perk, including Hyatt Privé, Mandarin Oriental Fan Club, Marriott STARS, etc.
Don’t be offended if you stay at a hotel that doesn’t offer you a welcome amenity. Similarly, you may find that you stay at the same hotel twice, and are offered a welcome amenity once, but not the other time. Whether or not you’re offered one on a particular stay can come down to a variety of factors, including how busy the hotel is that day, what staffing is like, etc.
My take on hotel welcome amenities
I figured I’d share a few personal thoughts on hotel welcome amenities, of course acknowledging that this is hardly the most important aspect of a hotel stay. Then I also want to pose a question to OMAAT readers.
The way I see it:
- Personally I’m a bit surprised when I don’t receive some sort of a welcome amenity at a luxury hotel, while otherwise I don’t expect one, and am pleasantly surprised when I receive one
- I admit that hotels are in a tough spot when it comes to welcome amenities, especially with alcohol; it’s nice when a bottle of wine is offered, but if it’s a $6 bottle of sparkling wine, it may leave a bad taste in some peoples’ mouth (figuratively, and maybe even literally), especially if they’re paying a lot for a stay
- While it’s always nice to receive a welcome amenity, as a frequent traveler it can be hard to “maximize” these — I hate wasting, but when I’m given a plate with about 4,000 calories of chocolate…
Now here’s a question for readers — if you’re proactively offered a welcome amenity but you don’t like what’s being offered, do you let the hotel know? Here’s my personal take:
- Unless it’s a published benefit of what I booked (like for booking through a certain program with a travel agent, or at certain luxury hotels that market a welcome amenity as a feature), I would feel weird requesting a different gift; I think the exception would be if I didn’t drink alcohol, and the amenity consisted of alcohol, or if allergies came into play
- At the same time, if you are offered a nice bottle of wine, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to request a swap to a different similarly priced bottle (for example, if you like white wine, but are offered red wine)
I know some people will even email hotels and request a specific kind of welcome amenity even if a welcome amenity isn’t an official perk. Personally I would feel sheepish and never do that, but to each their own…
Bottom line
It’s always a treat to get a welcome amenity at a hotel. The quality can vary significantly, and it could be anything from a couple of bottles of water to a nice bottle of champagne and a cheese plate. It’s most common to find welcome amenities at luxury hotels, at hotel groups you have status with, or at hotels that you frequent.
What’s your take on hotel welcome amenities? When do you expect them, and what do you expect?
As an Marriott Ambassador, I find I receive more amenities than I used to, but they're all over the map. At one autograph collection hotel, I'll get a "goody basket" of packaged snacks and some NA drinks and the next, nothing. Same at some Marriotts. Usually they have some local flavor. I've even received one of those at a limited service hotel - a springhill suites. But I'd say for about 75% of my stays...
As an Marriott Ambassador, I find I receive more amenities than I used to, but they're all over the map. At one autograph collection hotel, I'll get a "goody basket" of packaged snacks and some NA drinks and the next, nothing. Same at some Marriotts. Usually they have some local flavor. I've even received one of those at a limited service hotel - a springhill suites. But I'd say for about 75% of my stays there are no welcome amenities - which is fine as they're mostly at limited service properties or standard Marriott, Sheraton or Autograph Collection hotels.
I think the most interesting amenity (not the best) I've received was at the Marriott in Montreal - two chocolates, two macaroons, a bottle of sparking water, a small bottle of gin, a can of tonic and an energy drink. Weird, yes... but it worked.
And I should add, the most entertaining. At the St Regis SF, the amenity arrived and one of the bottles of sparking water was empty. I pointed this out and the butler was quite upset. Apparently, he'd set it down to deliver another and a guest had either swapped it out or chugged it. He came back later not just with the replacement water, but another, larger amenity.
The welcome gift is more important and could be more valuable than the fruit or whatever they give for this property benefit. Some include breakfast, for example. This said whether it is the welcome gift or this benefit I always ask related questions (e.g. for the wine option is it just a glass or a bottle). These property gifts are usually better outside the US.
what is a "travel advisor" when booking with points?
I got a bottle of water when I checked in for an extended stay at a R.I. in LV as an Ambassador last year - I think I still have it in the home fridge. It might have even come with a card. Dropped $25k at a CY and got a "thank you" note that was hand written
We have received so many incredible welcome amenities over the years! I used to take photos but now we just enjoy them! Whether it’s status, repeat guests, random or a combination of two, we always are delighted! Occasionally, we are not able even to finish the wine or treats and on a few occasions with a really nice bottle of wine, we’ve checked a bag to bring it home!
I started consistently booking through a travel advisor in 2022 and have found the welcome amenities to be lightyears ahead of what I would receive when I booked on my own (even as an Ambassador Elite member of Marriott Bonvoy). Each and every time (with a few exceptions) I have booked a stay through my travel advisor (with a rate that includes free breakfast, room upgrade, welcome amenity, etc.), I have received a bottle of...
I started consistently booking through a travel advisor in 2022 and have found the welcome amenities to be lightyears ahead of what I would receive when I booked on my own (even as an Ambassador Elite member of Marriott Bonvoy). Each and every time (with a few exceptions) I have booked a stay through my travel advisor (with a rate that includes free breakfast, room upgrade, welcome amenity, etc.), I have received a bottle of white wine and usually a plate of sweets and/or fruit. Most of the time, the bottle is something that I've never heard of, but usually retails for around $20 and is therefore drinkable (and usually pretty good!). In one instance, I received a bottle of Flowers Chardonnay while staying at the Edition Time Square - that retails for around $50. So in summary, the best way to guarantee a welcome amenity is to book with a travel advisor!
Travel advisor here - we almost always have our clients welcome amenities personalized. That includes telling the hotel not to provide one (or just water) for clients who view them as wasteful. To your point though, I've seen some really amazing, fun, and out of the box welcome amenities over the years that are only possible by going through an agent who has a great relationship with the hotel. They can make a really positive impact on a stay.
I'm with you - our agent specifies that we don't want a "welcome amenity", because they're horribly wasteful. The display of fancy St Regis chocolates pictured above, for instance, would be totally lost on us, and we'd ask for them to be removed immediately. Likewise with bottles of champagne or other wine - I'd prefer a large bottle of sparkling mineral water in the mini-bar with their compliments every day over a bottle of champagne on arrival.
Ben. I'm currently at The Dolli in Athens. An entire cake, berries, and bottle of wine in the room upon check-in. At turndown; 2 bowls of tiramisu, alongside a beautiful silver dish of dried fruit and nuts. There's not enough time in the day for all of the steps required :)
Oh yeah. Well I have a radio in my car so there
For alcohol, there's also the issue for people who are ex-alcoholics and probably not the best thing to place some free alcohol in from of them as a gift.
The best welcome gift we've received on our travels was at the IC Hanoi, we were quite delayed on our flight in and the manager checked with us and knowing that we hadn't had dinner yet on arrival, had already arranged a quiche and some nibbles in the room as a welcome amenity.
As a *recovered* alcoholic, there was definitely a time in my life this would have been very problematic. At this point in my sobriety it would be easy for me to take a bottle of wine down to the desk and ask for something NA, or just ignore it completely. If I was booking through a TA I’d definitely have them note that I don’t drink.
The world is filled with such challenges and temptations....
As a *recovered* alcoholic, there was definitely a time in my life this would have been very problematic. At this point in my sobriety it would be easy for me to take a bottle of wine down to the desk and ask for something NA, or just ignore it completely. If I was booking through a TA I’d definitely have them note that I don’t drink.
The world is filled with such challenges and temptations. I hate the idea of someone relapsing alone in a hotel room after a free bottle of wine. Hopefully if someone is on that shaky a ground with not drinking they’re not traveling alone, or have the presence of mind to call a trusted friend before popping the cork.